Christmas...already?

It's hard to believe it's the middle of December already - time is just flying by & I've neglected our blog (among other things) with various other projects I've been involved in. But things are finally settling down & we're in the rush of the Christmas season. For some reason, I'm calm this year & loving it - & I'm content that whatever doesn't get done, is OK. We've been prioritizing what we need to do & so far the list is getting narrowed down. Aurora has been super excited about Christmas this year - so every morning we get the countdown to how many days are left before Christmas! She's really gotten wrapped up in the whole spirit - giving, cards, sharing, programs. It's great!

So, if I don't get a chance to update this before Christmas arrives, we'd like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas & trust you'll have time to enjoy & celebrate the birth of our Saviour!

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Trick or treating American Girl style...

Aurora & her friend, D, found the exact same dress (I think it was actually a princess dress) but they got the brilliant idea to be historical American Girls for trick or treat night. Aurora was Elizabeth and D was Samantha. They both got ready at our house & we curled their hair and put on makeup.

Then we headed up the street to begin our 2 hour treck through the neighborhood. Tucker was dressed as a pumpkin and he was exhausted by the time we returned home. The girls recooped with a bit of chocolate from the loot they collected throughout the evening and talked about all the fun they had that evening.

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A few NYC pix...

Didn't realize I had taken so many pictures in NYC until I began to look at them on the computer. I could make a whole album out of our 2 day outing there. But I'll just share a few for now...

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October birthday girls...

Aurora & I both celebrate birthdays in October. So we took a free weekend to get-away as a family to New York City and celebrate. It was so much fun to walk the streets of Manhattan in 80 degree heat in October & enjoy all the sites - architecture of various buildings, double-decker buses, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, Saks, St. Patricks Cathedral, Little Brasil, and the American Girl store! It was a full day! I'll have to post more pictures later. But here's a special one that was taken along the Hudson River while we were waiting to ride on the Staten Island Ferry to see Lady Liberty!

Happy Birthday sweet baby of ours!

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What's better than sisters shopping together?...

...sisters shopping together at....

WEGMANS!!!!

A piece of our childhood finally arrived in Central PA this weekend...we grew up going to Wegmans and now we get to enjoy shopping there! We braved the crowd on opening day and had a blast! How many people do you know that go around taking pictures of themselves in a grocery store? Come on...it's a grocery store! I know - we're weird...but the madness was so much fun. We laughed, tried sushi for the first time, sampled carrot cake, had some cheese, sampled carrot cake again, some apple slices, a pear slice, coffee, chocolate - good thing we didn't eat lunch before we went. But we were excited & enjoyed every minute of it!

Isn't it odd how some of the things we so often take for granted, like a grocery store, mean so much more to us when we don't have them anymore? I remember those feelings when we were in Brasil...food, stores, malls, restaurants, churches as we know them here in the USA are now suddenly different or missing entirely from our new culture. But God enables us to adapt & gives us new places that become special to us.

He does the same with people in our lives...although no one can be replaced, He continues to bring people into our lives to enhance our joy & to share moments with. I give thanks everyday for the people that I'm surrounded by - in my home, at work, at church, my neighbors and extended family & friends...we're so blessed! And shopping at Wegmans with my sister is just icing on the cake! :)

PS - Don't look at the clocks in the pictures...or you'll discover just how long we were in there shopping (& sampling)!!

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Happy 70th Aunt Dorothy

Isn't it interesting how some people in our lives are so unique & different than others. Their perspectives are different, their living situation, their families are different...yet we fall in love with their uniqueness & do our best to let them know how much they are appreciated, even when they can't fully understand it. That's how Aunt Dorothy is in our family - she just celebrated her 70th birthday! She hasn't had an easy life and spends much her time in her own little world, but yet she's happy and it's so much fun to see her face light up when she sees a family member or a friend. She can talk your ear off and enjoys being around people. But the most fascinating aspect about her is her mind...it recalls everything! Maybe that's why she has such an easy time talking all the time. She knows how many birthday cards she got, who sent them, who was at her party and the most amazing thing is she remembers EVERYONE's birthday & sends them a card. She doesn't have a date book with all that information in it...it's in her mind...all 12 nieces and nephews, and all 24 of their children! WOW! That's just one of the things that makes her unique! I'm glad we got to travel up to NY to be a part of her family celebration. It was fun to see all the cousins & to watch her open her gifts with an overwhelming look of shock & happiness on her face!

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First day of school

It's hard to believe that summer is over already - where did the time go? The past 2 months have just flown by as they've been packed with all kinds of events & activities going on - conferences, day camps, sleep overs, bike rides, family outings to Brusters, swimming, camping...even the air is starting to smell different when the breeze blows. That hot summer air has turned a bit & the evenings are becoming cool & damp. Fall is coming and we're all ready for that change.

Today was a different day in our house - exciting and yet bittersweet... the first day of school! It's hard to believe that A is in 2nd grade already. She has a great teacher that we're really excited about and a class full of kids to become friends with. She was apprehensive last night when I tucked her into bed & we started praying together - the tears came and soon I discovered just how nervous she was. But when we woke her this AM she jumped out of bed & got dressed immediately into her new red dress. The excitement had overshadowed those fears & she barely let me take a few pictures because she was in a hurry to get to the bus stop (with 15 minutes to spare).

I put her on the bus with tears in my eyes - joy for her and her excitement, but also sadness as I realize how fast she's growing and becoming more independent. We're all glad to be starting on a routine again, but I still long for those days when we play games on the floor or lie in bed listening to music together & sing silly songs. Those are the moments we cherish.

The day passed slowly without her in the house, even Tucker was moping around. But I was so glad when she got off the afternoon bus with a big smile on her face yelling, "SECOND GRADE IS AWESOME"!! God answered her prayers. It doesn't get any better than that.

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Congratulations Ivan & Kelsey

This weekend we packed up & headed out to Cedarville to attend the wedding of I&K! We had a great time just getting away together as a family & hanging out at the hotel. It was fun to be with the Batistas & to be a part of their special day. Dan had a part in the ceremony & Aurora played photographer for most of the evening - trying to get all kinds of pictures (the cake, the couples in the wedding party, baby Jackson, etc.). Fun was had by all! We wish you all the best as you start your new life together, I&K! Thanks for letting us be a part of your wedding day!

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Back from Vacation...

We had a great vacation in Florida, even though it was hot. It was so nice to relax & enjoy no schedule for a few days. Now that we're back to reality, the first priority is to get ready for school, which begins August 27! Aurora is so excited & ready to get back (mommy isn't, but I'm happy for her). I've enjoyed my time at home with her this summer & it's going to be hard to let that go again & give her full day over to someone else. But watching her excitement & desire to learn makes it all worth it. Her reading has certainly progressed over the summer - it's like the whole world is a huge sign & she's reading it all with vigor! Dan is busy putting the final touches on his fall schedule - which is filling up quickly. We're looking forward to going to the ABWE Central America/Carribean Conference in September as a family. Our passports are all in & we just need to do the paperwork for school. We're praying for the weather that week - as it will be prime hurricane season! Yikes that's scary! But it will be great to interact with the missionary families there & get to know more of them & also discover what personnel needs they have on their various fields. Please pray for us these next two weeks as our schedules/routines change again and other events play out as the fall approaches.

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Welcome to our blog! Since we've heard from so many people that they miss us having a website where we post updates & photos, we figured it was time to enter the 21st century & finally establish a blog. We will do our best to keep this updated with what's happening with our family, our ministry & also new photos that we have. Our first post is going to be long as we are including our prayer letter (way over due...)! We'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave comments & suggestions & we'll do our best to keep in touch & use this blog as much as possible. Summer prayer letter: In the midst of our annual fast paced summer, we'd like to give you an update of what is going on in our lives. As many of you know, this year has brought with it some very unusual and trying times as we lost Mom (Branda) to cancer in March, just 1 year after we lost Dad. We have learned in a deeper way how God's grace can surround us and comfort us, as well as how God's people can surround & comfort us. Mom's home-going has been bitter sweet...bitter in the sense that we greatly miss her and have lost a strong prayer warrior, but sweet in the fact that she is now with the Lord and is also able to be with Dad again and loved ones who have gone on before. Some days are difficult as we miss having Mom here with us, but we rejoice in the fact that we will be with her again some day. It is difficult to understand how those who have no hope can cope with death. Dan did a lot of traveling to different schools this spring, talking with students & promoting opportunities for service. He has also visited churches, talking with individuals & couples who are seeking God's will as they take the step of pursuing full-time career missions. Debbie has been busy caring for our home & Aurora, and working 3 days/week at ABWE while Aurora was in school. During the summer she works mostly from home, helping with special projects in the President's office. Aurora continues to bring such a dynamic into our family. She is growing like a weed & seems to talk non-stop. She recently sang in her first musical at church, had her first ballet recital, & just completed a week of worship arts day camp. Last week she participated in Game Day Central at our annual ME Conference. She went from 8 AM to 9 PM each day non-stop! She's looking forward to starting second grade - although she thinks summer should be just for playing & not practicing math, writing, etc. Gotta work on that! Candidate Seminar continued on into the ME Conference last week & we appointed 54 new missionaries. That was exciting! We both had lots of responsibilities during those events - co-directing, teaching, interviews/screening, ladies luncheon, registration, teen program, board meeting...along with overseeing the 10 college MK's that are participating on our QUEST team this year. It's been crazy busy! But sooo much fun! We appreciate your prayers so much. The Lord has given us the strength we've needed to remain healthy & coherent, but we're anxiously looking forward to a vacation next week. The fall schedule is filling up quickly with travels, including a trip to the Central America Regional Conference held in Mexico. We all hope to go on that trip for a few days. Plus school is just around the corner & all the programing that that brings. Thanks for your prayers & support - we couldn't do this without you. It's always a challenge to balance family & ministry, but we're doing our best to keep that a priority. Please pray that we'll have the wisdom of when we need to say "no" to travel, responsibilities, etc. & to keep our family a priority.

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